More Reliable  Line Will Also Help Provide Alternative Service During 2019  Line Work

Shuttle Buses Will Provide Alternative Service Along  Line During Construction

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the $163 million project to rebuild and improve the reliability of century-old sections of the  line will begin on July 1.   service will terminate at Broadway Junction for two months, during which time shuttle bus service will be provided.  The newly improved  Line will help to provide alternative service during improvement work being done on the  line starting in 2019.

From Saturday, July 1 to Friday, September 1, contractors will demolish and rebuild a crucial section of the  line between the Fresh Pond Rd and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av stations that includes the Fresh Pond Bridge, a 100-year-old overpass that crosses over the New York & Atlantic Railway's tracks. This metal bridge not only carries  trains to its Queens terminus but also provides access to subway car storage yards that are critical to service. This outdoor elevated structure has been exposed to inclement weather and daily use for one hundred years, and must be replaced to ensure reliable service.

Preliminary work also will begin on the Myrtle Viaduct, a century-old concrete overpass between the Myrtle Av and Central Av  stations that also must be replaced, though the bulk of that reconstruction will start immediately after the Fresh Pond Bridge work is complete.

“The MTA’s top priority always has been and will continue to be providing safe and reliable service to our customers and this work is absolutely critical to the long term viability of this growing corridor,” said New York City Transit Acting President Darryl Irick. “The improvements from this project are also going to be critical for providing reliable alternative service for our  line customers in 2019.  While there is no other option than complete replacement, we’ve engaged with affected communities to address their concerns, and hope they understand the urgency behind our decision and can look forward to improvements in service once the work is complete.”

Both sections will be rebuilt using new material that will last longer than the original material, now considered subpar by modern building standards. The other work on the Myrtle Viaduct will include replacing steel girders, track beds and the platforms that carry the tracks.

During the two months of the Fresh Pond Bridge reconstruction, service will be suspended between Myrtle Av and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av (with several stations remaining staffed for MetroCard transactions). Instead,  trains will run on the  line and terminate at the Broadway Junction station to provide customers with transfer options to the  lines.  The alternate service plan during the closure also includes a network of three free shuttle bus routes for service to the seven affected stations.  During daytime hours, two shuttle bus routes will provide service to the seven affected  stations, making all station stops between Myrtle Av and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av. Customers on these routes can transfer to the  at the Myrtle-Wyckoff station.  A third shuttle bus route also will provide a transfer to the , making stops at Middle Village-Metropolitan Av , Jefferson St  and Flushing Av .  During overnight hours, shuttle buses will provide service to the affected  stations, making all station stops between Myrtle Av and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av.

To further mitigate the impact of this vital work on customers, MTA NYC Transit will permanently re-open an entrance at the Flushing Av  station. That secondary entrance, at the Fayette Street end of the station, will increase station capacity and help to manage customer flow during the  line work, as well as the anticipated increase of  customers during the Canarsie Tunnel repairs that begin in 2019. The reopening of the entrance at Fayette Street and Broadway includes a new turnstile area and a total of four reopened staircases: two platform staircases and two street staircases.

MTA NYC Transit has engaged in robust outreach with the communities affected by the  line work and met with local leaders and community boards representing Bushwick, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale. Work was scheduled to begin after the school year ended at the nearby Chris the King Regional High School so students who use the  line would not be affected. In response to community feedback, MTA NYC Transit will continue to staff four of the seven affected stations during the service diversion for customers requiring MetroCard transactions. MetroCard Vending Machines will be available at the Seneca Av, Forest Av, Fresh Pond Rd and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av stations, which will continued to be staffed by station agents for fare transactions. Customers should be aware that although those stations will be open and the agent booths will be staffed,  trains will not stop at those stations.

Transit personnel will also canvass the seven affected  stations in the days before and after the start of the service diversion to provide brochures and directions or answer questions, particularly during peak travel times. Once the service diversion begins, personnel will monitor the affected stations and bus terminals and assist customers seeking shuttle buses or subway transfers.

Information on both Myrtle Avenue line reconstruction projects are available by clicking here.  Additional information on Phase 2 of the project to complete the Myrtle Viaduct work will be available closer to the expected start of that work on September 2.

The latest amendment to the MTA’s Capital Program allocates $14.5 billion for subway improvements over the next few years, including $4 billion for stations, $4.5 billion for signals and track work, and $1.7 billion for new cars.  Details on the Capital Program are available at mta.info/capital. The MTA also has announced a six-point plan to improve subway service immediately, which includes:

• New subway cars and increased maintenance
• Installing new tracks and signals
• Increasing first-responder presence for customer medical emergencies
• Improving passenger loading and unloading
• Eliminating track bottlenecks

To supplement the MTA’s current long-term and immediate efforts, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the “MTA Genius Transit Challenge,” an international competition seeking innovative solutions to increase the capacity and improve subway service reliability.  The challenge will award $1 million in each of three categories: signals, cars and communications in tunnels and stations.

 Line Facts:

The  train serves 60,000 customers on an average weekday between the Myrtle Av and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av stations. Ridership at the seven stations along that branch has grown 53 percent since 2000.

The most up-to-date information on MTA service status is always available at www.mta.info. For immediate notice of service changes, sign up for email or text alerts at www.mymtaalerts.com. For weekend subway service changes, visit www.mta.info/weekender.